Thursday, December 1, 2016

Well, obviously, I am alive. I started college in August, so of course I have been very busy writing papers and doing assignments. I was also working the first half of the semester, so that took up even more time.

Keeping a blog up takes a lot of time.

A deeper reason is Pretty Thrifty. I have put on quite a bit of weight over the last year, and it has been difficult to post pictures of myself that make me feel, well, beautiful.

I understand the need to love myself in the skin I'm in, but it's hard. I have been struggling with it a lot. Also I am having a hard time deciding what to do next with my life and feeling discouraged.

So overall, I have really been struggling with my self confidence, and my desire to get up and go has been kind of pathetic.

So I apologize.

I don't mean to be neglectful of the blog, but I have been.

And I didn't mean for this to be a sad post either.

What I have been learning through this time is that I have to be patient with God.—to just ask for the next step. If I knew the future, it would give me the opportunity to run from it.

And I don't want to run from it.

I want God to use everyday that I live to prepare me for the exciting future he has planned for me.

I also am learning to love myself for who I am. Not just my body, but my personality and how I interact with people.

I'm not like a lot of people. I am loud, dramatic, awkward, and a little ditsy.

I will probably never be a quiet, still person, as much as I would like to be sometimes, and I will probably never be uber sensitive or meek. I will probably never be a perfect follower or a perfect leader.

I will never be blonde, because I have eyebrows the color of charcoal And that's okay with me :).

I will be who I am, because God knit me together in my mother's womb, and I am beautifully and wonderfully made.

Merry Christmas to you all!

As this year ends, celebrate who God created you to be and remember how much he loves you for who you are.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

YES!
I am still alive! I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I am not sick or paralyzed. But I have been extremely busy and preoccupied this summer. If you have been following my blog for very long, you know that every year I attend a church camp at the end of July. Well, at the end of June, I left home for a month to intern at that church camp. It is nearly four hours away. I hardly ever had cell service, so it was a long time being away from home. Even longer for my mom. No matter; it was the best summer of my life.

There were eight interns, two staff members, and the directors and their family that ran the camp. The first week, all we did was clean the camp grounds, buildings, and bathrooms and get to know each other. I have to say I have never seen such big spiders! The first one we found, I think was a Missouri tarantula. Ugh!!

Anyway, the second week was kids' camp. They were all so adorable. We had a great team that came and did the program for the kids. Even the adults enjoyed it!

The next week was junior high camp. We had a great first couple of days and then on Wednesday, we had a huge storm that knocked down a few big trees, put the whole area out of power, and knocked out our water until the next morning. We had to send over two hundred kids home early. We were out of power for over three days, and I wondered if we were going to have to go home. But finally, on Saturday, night the power came on! We rushed to get the campground ready for the seniors that were coming on Monday. We got it all done in one day and went out to celebrate that night.

The next day we welcomed about two hundred more campers to the camp grounds, and we had a great week! On Saturday, everyone, including us interns, left and went home. It was the best experience I have ever had at camp. I am so glad I went. The opportunity to minister to so many kids simply by being there to lead games, greet them at the door at mealtime, talk to them during meals, just being Jesus with skin on... it was really wonderful. My biggest goal, to make the kids feel included and talk to as many as I could so they didn't feel ignored or left out, was rewarded when one of the girls came up to me and said as much on the last day. It was amazing to me.

Anyway, that's where I have been. I start college on Monday, so it may be a while until I post again. Or not. We will see. But for now, God bless you all and be with you.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

I am officially graduated from high school! June 12, 2016. I have completed 12 years of homeschooling with my mom and wonderful siblings. I wouldn't trade it for anything! It's been a long journey with lots of twists and turns, dips and ruts, mountains and valleys. It has been difficult at times, but, as always, it was worth it. I'm not positive of God's plan for my life, but I know it will be good. It will be a plan of good and not evil, a plan to prosper and not to harm me, for a hope and future. He is good, and He is good to me.

I want to encourage you all to press onwards. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14. He is your ultimate goal. No matter what you are doing, have done, or will do, you can still honor Him with your life. No act of obedience is too small or large, no challenge too simple or extravagant. Everyone must take the next step no matter the difficulty. If you fall, get up, and move on. Always keep moving toward the call of Christ Jesus.

My next step is a summer internship with my youth camp. I won't be here until nearly August. So in the meantime, may God bless you all and keep you in His loving arms.
Love,
Emily
Teen for the Lord

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Thanks be to God! I'm done with school, I have my senior pictures done, and we have a date set for the graduation party! Finally!
My friend let Amy borrow her camera to take the pictures for free!
My little artistic angel really came through for me. Love her so much! Thanks, Amy.
(Check out her Art Blog :) )

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Fresh flowers, gusty breezes, new life, and rainy days curled up with a book and hot tea...

~sigh~

Spring is a time for new starts and fresh beginnings and, sometimes, the closing of a season.

I'm a senior this year and I'm about to graduate.
A relief, yes, but also a challenge.

What is next?

What do I do with my life?

What does God have for me?

Are my dreams His will or mine alone?

What do I do?

If you've graduated, you have probably gone through this. But you may have asked yourself the same questions at various other parts of your life. I don't think any of them are totally answered. They can be answered, for a time, but they never really go away. They keep nagging at us, prodding us to ponder the future, distracting us from the present and the day God has given us.

What I'm learning, is that God loves us. He has good plans for us; and if we will acknowledge Him in all that we do, He will direct us. He will show us what's next, what to do, where to go, what to say. And with our good Father leading us down the road that He knows so well, we don't need to worry about the next step. We can enjoy the moment we are in with our Father, our family, our lives, without the distraction of worry on our minds.

Monday, February 8, 2016

For the last couple of years, my pastor has begun the year with a church consecration. Basically, this means we each make a personal commitment to consecrate one part of our lives in January— a fast to work on our personal relationship with God. I joined in this year and I am really glad I did. Over the last month I have spent far more time in prayer than I normally do. And when I drew near to God, He drew near to me... just like He promised.

At the beginning of the year, my youth group started a book study on the book Gods at War. If you have not read it, I highly recommend looking into it. It will totally change your perspective of sin. When we think of gods today, we think Greek, Roman, Norse, Buddhist, Hindi, Islamic, ect. But the Church seldom looks at the gods in the USA. Gods of power, self, pride, lust, and many more. This book, by the author of Not a Fan, Kyle Idelman, addresses many of them and how to win the battle in our hearts.If you want to learn more, you can visit City on a Hill's bookstore here.

This book has been incredible. It makes you look at your struggles with sin much differently than we are taught to look at them. I think it makes us see how big an issue, how large of an obstacle some of these issues are, and how great a wall they build between us and God, our father.

CAUTION:
This is an adult/young adult book. It is not geared toward children. It deals with adult topics, if you know what I mean. Please use discretion. Thanks!

God wants us free from all of the gods that are holding us back from Him. He does not want us giving ourselves over to them. We are His treasure. We are His bride. When we worship our idols, whether we know they are idols or not, we give Satan God's treasure and bride. We are cheating on God with Satan.

But there is freedom in Christ! But you have to sacrifice your gods on the altar of your heart each and every day so that you can be free from this slavery. God is patiently waiting for you, child, to realize your mistake and take the first step toward Him. He will help you get past and through this!
Have faith! Expect His goodness in your life.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Isn't that the end of every year, though? It's as if all of the sudden we can look backwards and see what God was doing all year long. Funny, huh?

Since I haven't really been posting this year, let me recap.

My dad decided to spend another year on the Precious Moments restaurant, so we all pitched into help. My Grandpa passed away as did my Great Grandma.

My counselor, and close friend, left our church, which caused me to have to branch out to other people. I have made a lot of good friends. (Smile!)

I turned 18, and took my first college classes with our community college, passing with flying colors!

My dad closed the restaurant about two weeks ago now and is searching for new employment.

It's been a rough ride this year, but not like last year. Last year the devil really attacked our family. We were so discontent with each other all the time. We fought a lot and never won. Somehow 2015 was much better. I don't know what changed, but I think it was all of us being changed by God. It's amazing how He quietly changes our perspective, attitudes, and life styles without us even knowing it.

God is always faithful.

If you are in a rut, don't give up.

Take the next step and never let go of God.

He will never let go of you.

Ever.

Remember, you can scream, you can cry...

but don't you dare let go

and don't you dare give up!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.